Washing machine



May 24 19.27.

o. B. WOODR OW WASHING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1925 ,25 rows therein illustrating the direction of Patented May 24, 1927.

UNITED STATES OLIVER B. WOODROW, F NEWTON, IOWA.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application filed April 13,

The object of my invention is to provide a washing machine of the type intended for domestic use for cleaning clothes, and of simple, durable and inexpensive construction 5 and designed to clean clothes in a convenient, facile and economical manner. My invention is especially designed to be used in connectionwith metal (usually copper) tubs that are operated on the principle known as the vertical oscillator type, and

one of the objects of my invention is to provide agitator blades on the interior of the tub so constructed, arranged and combined with the thin metal tub as to strongly and firmly brace the tub.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

igure 1 shows a top or plan viewof a washlng machine body with the cover removed, and illustrating my invention, the armovement imparted to the water and clothes when the machineis in operation.

- Figure 2 shows a vertical central sectional View of a washing machine embodying my invention, the arrows indicating the direction of movement imparted to the water and clothes during one movement of the washing machine; and

Fi ure 3 shows an enlarged detail sectiona view on the line 33 of Figure 2.

'Referrin to the accompanying drawings, I have use the reference numeral 10 to 1ndicate generally the washing machine body which is preferably cylindrical in shape of a flat bottom and open at its top. The bod is preferably made of thin sheet metal sue for instance as copper, which is usually tinned on the interior.

On the interior of the body I have provided a series of three agitator blades, each of which is preferably composed of a body portion preferably of cast metal. The outer edge of this agitator blade is shaped to fit against the adjacent side of the washing machine body and to extend upwardly to a point adjacent to the normal water level within the body. The bottom edge is shaped to lie flat against the bottom of the tub and to extend approximately two-thirds of the 1925. Serial No. 22,798.

distance from the periphery of the body to the center thereof. The sides of the agitator blade are flat.

The top of the agitator blade is extended first inwardly toward the center of the tub then is curved downwardly and inwardly at 15, then straight downwardly at 16, then curved downwardly and toward the center of the tub at 17, then substantially horizontally inwardly toward the center of the tub at 18 and is then curved downwardly and toward a vertical position at 19.

For securing the agitator blade to the tub I provide on the sides of each blade near the top and near the bottom on the vertical side and near the inner end of the substantially horizontal side an outwardly extended lug 20, and rivets 21 are extended through said lugs and through the adjacent ortions of the sheet metal body, thus firmly olding the sidesand bottom of the body to the agitator blades, and bracing the body rigidly against the strains to which they are ordinarily' subjected. The body is further braced by means of a series of reinforcing ribs 21 formed in the metal of which the body is composed, one series being extended through the body circumferentially at a point about midway between the top and bottom of the body, another series near the bottom and a third series in the bottom itself about midway between its center and circumferentially. This construction of the-blade does not in any way interfere with the use of the reinforcingribs in the body or bottom of the body, and the blades and ribs coact in strengthening and bracing the entire body portion.

I am aware that heretofore domestic washing machines have been operated by imparting to the washing machine body an alternating rotary motion in a horizontal direction, and I am also aware that machines of this class have been provided with agitator ribs secured to the bottom thereof and extended upwardly a short distance, and also in other instances that machines of this character have been provided with radially extended ribs secured to 'the inner surface of the body projected a short distance inward- 1y. I have carefully observed and noted the tubs both as to the production of suds and the time required for a thorough cleansing of clothes, and I have also experimented extensively and carefully observed and noted 1 the result both as to the production of suds and the time required for cleai'liug the clothes with my improved washing machine, and have proven that the results obtained by the use of my machine are greatly superior to the results obtained by the use of the alternating rotary washing machines now in common use, and that said improved results are due to what, at first glance, might seem to be more changes in relative size and proportion ol'the parts, but which I have demonstrated to be produced as a result of a new construction and combination of parts which produces a new principle of operation.

My invention lies in the shape or configuration and the relative arrangement of the three agitator blades within the body, and by reason of these things I am enabled to produce the improved result which l have attempted to illustrate by arrows in the drawings.

Assuming that the body is filled with water, soap and clothes to the level indicated in Figure 2, and that the body has an alternating rotary motion through a segment of a circle applied to it, and assuming further that, as illustrated in Figure 2, the

face of the blade shown at the left of said fi ure is movingforwardly, then that part of the contents of the body that is in contact with the lower portion of the agitator blade will be forced upwardly, as indicated by the dotted lines at 22, and that ortion of the contents of the body that is being engaged by the upper portion of the blade will be forced straight inwardly toward the center of the body, as indicated by the dotted line at 23. These two currents are obviously thrown in converging directions, and that portion of the contentsthat are engaged by the central portion of the blade are forced both upwardly and inwardly towardthe center of the tub, as indicated by the dotted lines at 24. When these three currents unite they will assume substantially parallel lines of travel, as shown at 25, and the ultimate result is that a relatively strong current is produced which flows upwardly through the body, and in a direction approaching the center of the tub, and this current under the normal motion applied to the tub is so strong as to lie slightly above the level of the surface of the water in the tub, as shown by the arrows in Figure 2. Durin this movement of the tub the action of the water on the opposite side of the same blade is substantially as follows:

As the blade advances, and its advance side forces the water in the direction before indicated, its following side will tend to 'create a vacuum and hence water will be drawn from all of the surrounding parts of the body into the portion immediately in the rear of the blade, and this will tend to form a whirling movement, which I have illustrated by dotted lines 26 in Figure 1.

Furthermore, the current that forms his whirl pool will tend to move downwardly toward the bottom of the tub, due to the fact that the currents produced by the front edge of the adjacent blade will act in such a manner as to produce this downward movement.

In Figure l l. have illustrated by the arrows 27 the general line of movement of the currents 25, as viewed from the top. ()bviously when the movement of the body is reversed in completion of a segment of a circle, the relative movement. of the currents of water is correspondingly reversed.

It is well known that the best results are attained in washing machines when they operate to present each portion of every article within the washing machine body as frequently as possible to the action of the water and soap. In my improvement this advantageous result is attained to a maximum degree, because during each operation of the washing machine body, one part of a garment is caught by the current indicated in Figure 2 by the numerals 22, 28, 24 and 25, and the part thus engaged is forced rapidly upwardly and toward the center of the washing machine body, whereas the other part of the same garment on the opposite side of the agitator blade is caught by the current illustrated in Figure 2 by the numeral 26, and is drawn downwardly and in an opposite direction into the whirl pool being formed on the'opposite side of the agitator blade, so that the movement of each garment is not only in a direction tending to stretch out the garment instead of massin it together with one part moving toward the top of the body and another part movin toward the bottom, and in addition to the stretching out and untangling action applied to the clothes, the currents are so concentrated at the point where the currents, indicated by the numerals 22, 23 and 24, converge that a strong flow at that point is produced, giving a rapid cleansing movement to a garment which is thus stretched out between the opposing-currents operated on opposite ends of the same garment.

It is important thatthe s ace between the inner ends of the agitators e left open and unobstructed so that garments may move readily from one compartment in the interior of the body across the center to another compartment, as any obstruction located in th1s place would prevent such movement of the clothes and cause them to become caught, tangled and massed at some point.

In practice I have found that with my 'improved machine, an unusually large quanti't of suds is roduced very rapidly, and in a dition to t is I have found that a thorough cleansing of garments within the tub is effected in a minimum of time, and that there are no such strains applied to any of the garments that would tend to tear the most delicate fabrics.

I claim as my invention: 7

111 a washing machine, the combination of a tub body having a bottom and sides, a series of agitator blades mounted therein, each blade being formed with an upright member with its outer edge adjacent to the side of the tub body and its inner edge pro jected toward the center of the tub body, each blade being also formed with a lower portion adjacent to the bottom of the tub body and extended upwardly a short disstance from the tub body, the inner end of said lower portion being spaced apart a considerable distance from the center of the tub body, and the inner edge of the upright member of the blade being spaced substantially midway between the inner ed e of the lower portion and the outer edge 0 the tub body, the space within the interior .of the body between the inner ends of the blades at the bottom being free and unobstructed to permit the passage of garments across the center of the body by the currents created h the agitator blades when the body is osci lated, the upwardly extended portion being de signed to create currents of water within the tub in a direction toward the center of the tub and the lower portion of the blade being designed to create upwardly extend-1 ing currents within the body of the tub, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

OLIVER B. WOODROW. 

